FOR THE RECORDSPRING 2013

No. 17

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The OKS Association

NEWS OF OKS

Roger Brown (SH 1938-42) haswritten to express pleasure that thenew-look Offcuts has added“explanation to your pictures; as oneof your readers who is nearly blindtheir absence has irritated me foryears”. He continues:

“Your references to Montgomeryreminded me that he had inspected theCorps as a certain Lt Col BLMontgomery from the War Office. Iwatched from Lattergate, I was tooyoung to be in the Corps. I wasinspected at Carlyon Bay by the Dukeof Kent, in 1941 or 2. By the timeyou mention I was in the army myself,but I did my bit guarding the Bay withBarch in between.” (‘Barch’ was thenickname of RSM Marshall, who alwayscommanded ‘Quick-barch’. He had a verypretty daughter. The Corps OC wasEgerton-Jones, nicknamed ‘EggyWhistle’ forhis slight speech impediment. Both menlived in Canterbury in retirement, andBarch built the shelves for E-J’s shop in St.Margaret’s Street when the latter became abookseller.)

Richard Murphy (MO 1941-42),FRSL, and author of a fascinatingautobiography, The Kick, wrote tosenior members of the OKS to drawtheir attention to the BBC Four filmon 16 December directed by FionaMurphy, daughter of his brother,Christopher Murphy (MO 1939-42).

“It concerns our home life in ourgrandfather’s demesne house in thewest of Ireland in the period prior to1941. The film has been previewed and

highly praised by the Telegraph and theGuardian. My brother and I werechoristers of Canterbury Cathedralc.1938-1940. I’ve been living in SriLanka for the past five years, havingspent five years in Ceylon (prior to1935) when my father, Sir WilliamMurphy, was the last British Mayor ofColombo. My address is 38 Wegiriya,Hondiyadeniya, Gampola, Sri Lanka.Here I’m building an octagonal yogameditation centre for my daughter andgrandchildren and visitors.” Fiona’sfilm, The Other Irish Travellers, “apersonal look at the history ofIreland’s vanished Anglo-Irish upperclasses”, was described by FergalKeane as “wonderfully portrayed,lyrical and honest.”

William Bishop (LX 1955-59) hasmultiple reasons to write:“I enjoyed the article by Tom Pares onMonty in the OKS mag. As a follow-up, you will be glad to hear that theplanning officer for the 7th ArmouredDivision Desert Rats is now myyoungest son Major James Bishop(BR 1989-94). His two sons Harryand George go to Montgomery Schoolat Hohne Camp in Germany, wherethey work towards their MontyMerits! To cap it all my maternalgrandmother’s maiden name wasMontgomery! So when I attend aFathers’ Night in the Royal ScotsDragoon Guards’ mess I wearMontgomery tartan trews!Both my younger brothers went toKing’s as did all three of our sons:Guy (BR 1982-86), Neil/Harvey(BR 1983-88) and James. Guy andHarvey are both senior lawyers now,

with Richmond Council and Google respectively. My next brother Tom(LX 1961-66) is still very competitive,winning numerous sculling titles forhis age group, whilst Bob (LX 1965-69) is resident in Wellington NZwhere he not only supports the AllBlacks but also operates as a financialadvisor to some of them. It was goodto send him a Christmas card pointingout the result at Twickenham! I haveearned my living for the last thirtyyears or so as an artist but still findtime to row on the sea each week,with fond memories of Peter Willisand Fordwich. We also tour twice ayear in our fixed seat fours, as you canimagine it is thirsty work! It was niceto see Fred again in the photo withMonty.PS I can feel the ghosts of Sopwith andPurnell checking if this e-mail isgrammatically correct.” [It nearly was,Ed]

We wish all six of them very well, andhope that in time there will be moreBishops joining King’s; perhaps evenwith the female ones still joining BRand LX!

John Man (WL 1954-60) gave aKing’s Society talk in the GatewayChamber on 30 January: Genghis Khan– The Hero & Mass-Murderer who re-madeAsia.

John Batchelor (GL 1955-60)recently retired from the University ofNewcastle and is now EmeritusProfessor there. His recent bookTennyson, To Strive, To Seek, To Find hasbeen very favourably reviewed.

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Michael Morpurgo (GL 1957-62)wrote movingly about his new book, AMedal for Leroy, in the Telegraph Weekend(22.9.12).Walter Tull, promoted from Sergeantto Lieutenant in the MiddlesexRegiment in 1917, was the first blackofficer in the British Army, havingalready been one of the first blackplayers in the Football League(Tottenham and Northampton). Hefought through the major battles onthe Western Front before being killedleading his men forward at Bapaume inMarch 1918. His body was neverfound, and he had no medal or statue.

Adrian Hallam (MO 1966-70) wasa skilled photographer at WendyWhite-Thomson’s 80th birthdaycelebrations (see Offcuts). Hisarchitectural and landscape work atArk Design Management includes theTAO-N house project, developingfrom the award-winning ‘FutureNature’ garden at the Chelsea FlowerShow.

John Lloyd (SH 1965-70) was thefirst of (remarkably) two OKS Guests(himself and Edmund de Waal, CBEand OBE respectively) of KirstyYoung’s Desert Island Discs in successiveweeks (18/25 November). He wasdescribed as a “Comedy writer,Producer, Director who has won astack of Baftas and a Grammy and anEmmy making us laugh for over thirtyyears: Spitting Image, Not the Nineo’clock News, Blackadder and QI are justa handful of the programmes he hashelped to create”.Though John spoke eloquently on theremembered horrors of hisschooldays, his Book of Choice was adistinctive one: The Book on the Tabooagainst Knowing Who You Are, which waswritten by P L Fermor’scontemporary in Grange eighty yearsago, Alan Watts (GR 1928-32), andwas published in 1966, as John enteredSpecial VI. Seewww.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/45ff0ba0

Brian Wilson (Common Room1965-73) has kindly sent us copies ofseveral of his books. These include AFaith Unfaithful (2004), a selection ofbroadcasts (‘Thoughts for the Week’,‘Thoughts for the Day’), sermons,letters and addresses, and Lost

Certainties (2012), which “explores thedilemma… of how to reconcile arational and educated modern mindwith the largely mythological faith stillpropagated by the traditional Church”.In addition was Experience is an Arch(2007), subtitled ‘A Pedagogue’sSwansong and Family Memoir’. Thishas a fascinating chapter on his time atKing’s, with reflections on thelegendary John Shirley, Peter Newell(who had taught him at Sedbergh),Sydney Sopwith, the Somner Society,Riversleigh House and much more.

Peter King (MO 1966-71) receivedexcellent reviews (“he is a virtuoso ofworld class standing”) for hisrecordings of Liszt: The Essential OrganWorks. Peter is Director of Music atBath Abbey and plays on its splendidKlais organ. We are grateful to DavidMiller (Common Room 1962-76) fordrawing our attention to this – andindeed to much else.

Mike Bax (LN 1969-72) andFrances Judd (GL 1976-78) havejoined the governing body – doublyqualified as OKS and former parents.Retiring Governors include OKSPeter Stone (WL 1959-64) andSarah Gurr (SH 1974-76).

Patrick Williams (WL 1968-72),chef and musician, took to the nationalpress the burning issue of Canterburylocal government, that of trafficthrough or not through the 14thcentury Westgate, and quoted EdmundBurke (more shades of Special VI!) inadvocacy (Daily Telegraph 29.12.12).

Raymond Butt (Common Room1968-98) last year was among thebidders at the auctions disposing of thefamous Charlesworth Collection ofrailway tickets; enjoyed his 45th yearas a Member of the Stewards’Enclosure at Henley Royal Regatta (“itwas disappointing to see that, yetagain, King’s failed to qualify”); andcontributed again to the BritishPhysics Olympiad, dealing with someproblems in rotational physics:“It is sobering to look back on my firstinvolvement with the BPO some 35years ago. At that time littlepreparation was required over andabove the A level syllabus; nowadayswe need some four tests, as well astwo or three workshops, to cover

those topics which are now consideredtoo difficult for A level. Time waswhen foreign pupils came here to get agood ‘Gold Standard’ qualification;nowadays they come to get an easyqualification.”

The Hon. Adam Barker (MO1969-73), Deputy Chairman of a newinsurance operation called ANV (actanon verba), has leadership runningthrough his family. Father Alan wasHeadmaster of the Leys School,Cambridge, and then UCSHampstead; daughter Virginia(Gigi) was Head of Walpole in 2006and son Christopher of MO in 2007;but mother The Baroness Trumpingtontrumps them all. A former Mayor ofCambridge, she was the first torespond when the Archbishop ofCanterbury moved that the House ofLords debate Older People: TheirPlace and Contribution in Society on14 December:

My Lords, the Most reverend Primate is20 years younger than I am. This factprovoked me to speak in his debate.There can be very few people left alivewho, like me, were there in CanterburyCathedral for Matins on the day war wasdeclared in 1939. The sun’s rays shonethrough that wonderful building’s stainedglass and the Dean, the Very ReverendHewlett Johnson – wrongfully known asthe “Red Dean” –had just emerged in thepulpit; then the air raid sirens rang out,very loud and menacing. The Deanshepherded the congregation down to theCrypt, where Matins proceeded as usualand as though our lives had notfundamentally changed. In later years, myson and two grandchildren attended theKing’s School, Canterbury, which is oneof the reasons why I am speaking heretoday.

It has been my privilege during some ofthose years to listen to the Most ReverendPrimate’s sermons. Lucky are thechildren who have heard the Archbishop –and lucky me to have remembered someof what he said. My granddaughter,Virginia, was confirmed by theArchbishop during his inaugural year.When we asked for copies of the newArchbishop’s words, we were told thatthere were no copies because he hadspoken extempore. Jealousy will get menowhere.”

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Meanwhile Gigi Barker is doing aMaster’s in Furniture Design at StMartin’s and Christopher is runningThe Brompton Club (a night club inLondon). Adam continues to play inthe Weald Tennis League.

David Chisholm (MR 1974-79)talked on Cartoons and Being aCartoonist at a Rutherford CollegeGrass Roots Event at the University ofKent on 18 November. He has beendrawing cartoons for The Sunday Timessince 1989 and has also worked for TheMail on Sunday and The Daily Telegraph.

This summer will see the first award atKing’s of the Arabella Lloyd-Roberts Art Prize. Arabella (GL1975-77) died in 1997, and the prizein her memory has been establishedthrough a bequest from her father DrRobert Lloyd-Roberts, who died inDecember 2010.

Edmund de Waal (MR 1977-81)(also see Offcuts) followed John Lloydby a week as the ‘castaway’ on DesertIsland Discs on 25 November. Ofparticular interest to those who wereat King’s in Edmund’s years was hiswarm tribute to Geoffrey Whiting:“I fell under his spell. It was a two yearapprenticeship; I spent everyafternoon there [behind Tradescant].He told me ‘The first 30,000 pots arethe worst, after that it gets easier.’ Thenext week he would say, ‘This time it’smugs’; and I’d throw 300-400 ofthem, and then break them”.But at 17 Edmund left the “Leachgeneration – English pottery meetsJapan”, and went to Japan: “Japan is thepotter’s country, you can go to avillage and they’ll say, ‘I’m the 17th

generation.’ There is a history oftouch: touch has been slightlyabandoned in Western culture.”And thence – in the discs – toHandel’s ‘refiner’s fire’ and to Bach’sSt. John Passion, which is all about‘finding space’ and ‘about beinghuman’; and for Edmund’s book: theCollected Poems of Wallace Stevens.

Rebecca Wallersteiner (GR 1977-79) has a new creative venture,writing ghost stories at the request ofRichard Ingrams, who published herHospital Ghosts over three pages of TheOldie in January.

Anthony Wallersteiner (GR 1977-81) and Tim Hands (Common Room1986-93), Heads respectively of Stoweand Magdalen College School, wereunited in their anger (Sunday Telegraph,25.11.12) at the ‘demonisation’ of fee-paying schools.

The former commented:“What annoys me is that the LordAdonis and Michael Gove model ofsponsoring an academy is one-size-fits-all. If you don’t do it, you are notdoing your bit; you are seen as beingdivisive, and not taking part in thegreat education debate. At Stowe wehave lots of good links with stateschools and our local community. Weare not here to bail out state schoolswhen we are supposed to beindependent.”

Dr Hands was still fiercer:“The extent to which an independentschool is valued and respected withinits community has altered very greatly.You are no longer regarded as fulfillinga public service – you’re regarded ascreaming off. When I first startedteaching at Canterbury in the mid-Eighties it was not unknown for theHead to go to 10 Downing Street or tosee the Education Secretary, perhapstwice a year. That wouldn’t happenany more. Heads who were oncefigures of national importance, withlinks to government, have becometainted figures with, at best,questionable access, and whose adviceis rarely sought”.[A far-from-neutral commentatormight add that – whilst for many yearsHMC seemed to work on the principlethat ‘a soft answer turneth away wrath’– the hostile climate for ourcontemporary Heads goes back at leastto Crosland in the 1950s, Circular10/65, the ending of Direct Grantschools, and the underlying principlethat no one of school age will everattend a comprehensive school untilevery single one does so.]

Dr Hands – whom we congratulate onbeing Chairman-Elect of TheHeadmasters’ and Headmistresses’Conference – returned to this themein the Daily Telegraph on 2.2.13: “OurCoalition Government has anobsession with social mobility, and nomember of the Cabinet more so thanMr Clegg. [But] for those who want

social mobility, it’s the independentsector that provides the option, andgets politically cold-shouldered as aconsequence”.

Ysenda Maxtone Graham (SH1978-80) has published An Insomniac’sGuide to the Small Hours. Ideal bedsidereading.

Anna Pinnock (BR 1978-80) hasearned her third Oscar nomination –for production design on Life of Pi. Shewas previously nominated for GosfordPark (2001) and The Golden Compass(2007).

Andrew Harding (GR 1980-85),BBC TV’s Africa Correspondent,added to his list of dangerous placeswhen he accompanied PresidentHollande to Timbuktu, a city nolonger mythical, unfortunately.

Natascha Engel, MP (MT 1983-85)has constituents’ aggravations to dealwith, when not chairing theBackbenchers’ Committee. Thisincluded a pub landlord who caughttwo teenagers stealing beer from hiscellar and locked them in. He was notpleased when Derbyshire police gavethem only a caution. The Hon.Member (Lab) for NE Derbyshire is agood listener: in the House ofCommons gay marriage debate shedescribed a constituent’s contra viewsas fully as her own pro ones.

Justin Marozzi (MR 1984-89), whois working on a history of Baghdad,wrote an entertaining account in theDecember issue of the journalStandpoint of the tour he and aboutthirty others took of the late PaddyLeigh Fermor’s favourite Londonhaunts, starting at the Heywood Hillbookshop in Curzon Street,proceeding to 28 Market Street,Shepherd Market, where the famouswalk began, and ending at theTravellers Club, of which Paddy was amember for 66 years.

The Revd Dr Anthony Phillips(Headmaster 1986-96) appeared onThe Antiques Roadshow at Falmouth onSunday 18 November. He was there inhis capacity as a curator for the RoyalCornwall Polytechnic Society and wasshowing three of their remarkablecollection of 279 pictures by HenryScott Tuke.

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Gabrielle Solti (SH 1986-88) willbecome Head of South HampsteadHigh’s Junior School in September.

Ben Young (SH 1986-91), stagename Ben Goddard, is touring theUSA for 6 months with the musicalMillion Dollar Quartet. He will beplaying Jerry Lee Lewis, whom he hasalready played for 10 months in theWest End.

Thomas Del Mar (GR 1986-91)maintains his prominence, hiscompany being described as “Britain’sLeading Auctioneers of Antique Arms,Armour & Militaria.” His auction inassociation with Sotheby’s on 5December was entitled MagnificentMechanics, The Art of the RenaissanceGunsmith.

The Hon Lucy Cavendish (GR/BS1989-91) appears only slightly in herfather Hugh’s magnificent book, A Timeto Plant, Life and Gardening at Holker(2012), but anyone reading it willrecognise the immense family andlocal responsibility that she nowcarries, for Holker Hall, its estate andits neighbourhood in Cumbria.

Charlotte Mendelson (SH/BS1989-91) was one of the guests at PanMacmillan’s “Joie de Livre party,” acelebration of women’s fiction.

Jeremy Bines (MT 1990-95) isGlyndebourne’s Chorus Master, andfeatured when Glyndebourne Touringperformed Rusalka and The Marriage ofFigaro at the Marlowe Theatre inNovember. He took a bow after theperformances and was enthusiasticallyacclaimed.

Tom Burges Watson (GR 1990-95)works for the French News Service,France 24, and has graduated to beinga newsreader. He also works forMonocle magazine and radio inLondon.

Benedict Reid (MR 1994-99) hasbeen promoted to be a Director atErnst & Young, specialising in theglobal re-insurance market, withspecific responsibility forstrengthening the firm’s business inBermuda. Alex Reid (née Carty,MR 1997-99) is a constructionsolicitor at Winckworth Sherwood,

increasingly leading in high-profilecases and building up the client base.

Kat Campion-Spall (MT 1995-97)made her own Times headline when theSynod turned down women bishops: “It feels like a slap in the face, I’mexhausted.” Kat had taken her seven-week-old daughter Iris along so “shewould witness a great moment inhistory that I could tell her aboutwhen she grew up, but that is not whathappened.”

Shane McGuigan (MR 2005-07)will no doubt be in much demand as apersonal trainer after his work withAndrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff. The formerTest cricketer was coached by Shaneand his father Barry before his much-publicised (and successful) boxingdebut in December.

Fran Berry (LX 2007-12) is playingfor Northwestern University, USA,and is on a hockey scholarship there.

ARCHIVES

We are grateful to Bill Wark ofOntario for sending us a copy of KingLear, inscribed ‘A E Clay, King’sSchool, Canterbury, Christmas 1883’.Albert Edward Clay was born in 1866and was here from 1880 to 1885. Hethen went to St Augustine’s College,Canterbury, and was ordained at StGeorge’s Cathedral, Kingston,Ontario in 1889 – thus explaininghow the book arrived in Canada. Helater became Rector of St Mary’s-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove, California. Hedied in 1948 at Monterey.

The Royal College of Surgeonsgenerously gave us an interestingcollection of material relating toWilliam Maycock (HH 1925-29) –mostly concerning his schooldays.

Many thanks also to Tom Watts (GR1934-39) for a selection of FJSChristmas cards and other items; toPaul Cockman, son of PatrickCockman (SH 1945-49), for somehouse photographs; and to RichardFreeman (WL 1958-63) for copy of aLattergate house photograph from1963.

Ration Enhancement 1945-46!

As the years pass, some of us come torealise just how much we owe to ourtime at King’s and to appreciate thedays of “Fred” and, in my case, F.H.Voigt, Housemaster of The Grange. Ialso owe a great deal to R.H. Priorwhose maths class I ended up in andwho, having said he could not believeanybody could be as bad at maths asme, proceeded to get me up to acredit in School Certificate. He alsogave an interest in classical music tosome of us when we were invited tohis Housemaster’s room in MeisterOmers on a Sunday night. Heintroduced us to lovely music playedon his “state of the art” gramophoneand we all relished the fact that, atsome stage, he would go to the wallcupboard, behind his chair, get hisFrench Horn and play his version ofpart of a Mozart Horn Concerto! Healso played us the real thing – but notnecessarily in that order! The Ovaltineand biscuits were also greatlyappreciated.

In response to the statement made byMike Brown on page 7 of the latestOffcuts, Fred had indeed workedwonders to get his School back toCanterbury in October 1945, howeverthe Dining Hall was not completeduntil Summer 1946. We ate in theParry Hall to begin with as the site ofthe Dining Hall was a bombed wreck.It was also the place that three of uswould go to cook; usually in torchlight after dark! Cooking in our ownhouse was strictly forbidden in case weset fire to the place. In fact it wasmuch more dangerous as the prisonerof war spirit was reborn in us andmuch ingenuity and craft was used tohide spirit stoves and primus stoves:under floors, behind walls, false floorsin tuck boxes. Somehow, two kindlyolder boys found out that I couldshoot, knew how to pluck and drawgame and could cook it. They had a.22 air rifle and a big torch, both boyshad the ability to charm blocks of lardout of the cooks and they produced anarmy mess tin to cook in. All this washidden in the bombed remains of theDining Hall. It was safe from theregular patrols and searches of MissHanan, our Matron. The quarry wasthe pigeons which roosted betweenthe Chapter House and the Cathedral.

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One boy had the barrel of the rifleconcealed down a trouser leg, anotherhad the butt and I had a sponge bagdown each trouser leg!

After dark, we crept along, keepingout of sight, slipped in to the gapbetween the buildings, assembled airrifle, cocked it, loaded it. One boyswitched on the torch, the birdsroosting on ledges were blinded by thelight, shot, bird grabbed, dispatched,and put into a sponge bag in case ofblood. In the ruins of Dining Hall,candle lit, birds plucked and drawninto paper bags/old newspaper. Bodiesdisposed of into the big cateringrubbish bins outside kitchen. Primuson, lard melted, pigeon breasts andlegs cut off and fried. The kitchenladies were very kind and sometimesgave us egg powder. This was dreadfulstuff they served up to us as verywatery scrambled eggs. Our versionwas much better! We mixed it withwater, “borrowed” salt and pepper andfried it as fritters – rubbery but fillingand quite tasty.

When we came back and found theDining Hall rebuilt we had to thinkagain. A local farmer took us on andall such operations were moved outthere. It was easy biking distance andthe farmer let us shoot rabbits andpigeons as long as we left any gamealone. Within his borders this wasobserved, outwith we exercisedobservation and field craft. We onlyshot what we could cook and eat.Surplus rabbits went to the farmer.Eventually the boys who had started itgot a proper .22, a .410 and a 20 bore.Over the next couple of years twoother boys were allowed “in”, havingbeen sworn to secrecy.

Eventually, somehow, word must havegot out and two boys from anotherHouse asked to join us and were metwith blank stares, silence and no co-operation. We could not believe itwhen they were caught, on top of theChapter House, in broad daylight,with an air rifle! The word was that,up before Fred, he was so amazed thatany of his pupils could be capable ofsuch a thing that he did not beat them.They got “torn off a strip” and warned,rifle confiscated. However, the nextwe heard, in my last Winter term1950, was that they had got a 20 bore

and were poaching pheasants on one ofthe best-keepered estates in Kent!This did not last long as they werecaught and handed over to the localpoliceman. He apparently was sosurprised at such behaviour fromKing’s pupils that he let them off witha caution and severe warning.

That was the beginning of the end.Some 6 weeks later our “Syndicate’s”20 bore was out of action and a newmember went and borrowed the onegiven back – amazingly – by thepoliceman to the two boys. I was notout on the occasion when our “newmember” was taken out. He was arotten shot but killed a cock pheasantin an old, decrepit, saw mill place, offthe edge of our farmer’s ground. Herushed forward, picked up the bird bythe neck and was quoting somethingintellectual to it, gun in hand, whenthe local policeman stepped out of theruined building. It was the samepoliceman! The boy and gun weretaken back to the policeman’s littleoffice. My recollection of hisdescription of the proceedings wasthat the man was very kind, marvelledthat this was the second “incident”involving a King’s boy in such a shorttime but, as he had let the others offwith a warning, he would have to dothe same here but his warning was thatthe consequences would be dire ifanyone else was caught. The “wheelscame off ” when he took the number ofthe gun and found it was the same asbefore.

All this was shortly before the end ofmy final term and, just before Prayersin the Junior Hall in the Grange oneevening, days later, our entire“syndicate” was told to go to MrVoigt’s study where Fred was waitingfor us. On the way we were surprisedto meet the smaller, “Sturry Syndicate”similarly summoned. We had beenaware of this lot and had discussed theposition, establishing that we posed nothreat to each other. Their onlyinterest was the ducks in the Sturrymarshes, rather a long way from “our”farm.

Lined up before Fred, he walked upand down, cane held behind his backas he addressed us. “You’ve beendoing it for how long, m’dears?” Itvaried from 2 to 4 years. He then took

us literally by surprise, “All this time!Pheasants, partridges, rabbits, hares,and pigeons, m’dears! All this timeand you never gave me a brace!” Wewere told it was going to stop – now!Quietly, forcefully – and deadly.He then said “Now! I want your guns,m’dears! Go and get them!” Our lotcould truthfully say it would not bepossible because they were all kept upon the farm. The Sturry lot were notso lucky. One caused a real sensationwhen he walked in to Prayers,unscrewed a floorboard under acorner desk and went out carrying ashot gun! “No. No, m’dear. I want allyour guns! Now! Go and get them!”Back he went, same again, and cameback with another one. Fred beamedupon us in great enjoyment, as only hecould – “I did not know you hadanother one – I was bluffing!” He thenwalked up and down, cane in hand,stopping before those of us who wereleaving that term. We all got poked inthe diaphragm with a forefinger (adreadfully familiar experience for me– I had been in his “Latin DufferClass”) as he said –

“You are leaving this term –and you – and you so there isnot much point in beatingyou! If I don’t beat you, itwould not be fair to beat you,or you, or you! But – (turningto the others) it will neverhappen again!!”Martin Leslie (GR 1945-50)

The Canon Shirley That IKnew

In response to Janet Shirley’s articleabout her father, I wish to give myimpressions of him.

I joined King’s School, MarloweHouse, in September 1953 and left inJuly of 1958. My route in arriving atKing’s was tortuous. I was born inSeptember 1940 to a single parent; avery unusual situation then. Myerstwhile father was a young man withwhom my mother fell in love, but whowas married to someone else. Mymother’s brothers and sisters were notdelighted at this situation. One personwith the most objection was mygrandmother and when I was six mymother took the very brave step ofleaving whatever family protection shehad and becoming an itinerant

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housekeeper. Her employmentchanged every year and she had to takeme along with her.

In 1951 my mother’s sister, Joyce,married Peter Mendoza. Peter was astockbroker and for some reason,which I will never understand butalways feel was one of the kindest everacts pointed in my direction, hedecided not only to meet my motherand me but also take us under hisfinancial wing. Peter decided that Ineeded a good education and arrangedfor me to take Common Entrance. Ihad passed the 11+ examination, butthat examination did not requireFrench or Latin, and, as may beimagined, I failed the CommonEntrance examination soundly. Peterthen decided, despite this, to try andforce some unfortunate educationestablishment to accept me. For somereason he preferred schools which hadKing’s attached to their title. How itwas managed I do not know but aninterview was arranged with JohnCorner, then housemaster of Marlowe.For some reason John Corneraccepted me. I understood afterwardsthat, before any such waiving of allnormal regulations would bepermitted, Canon Shirley would needto be consulted for his endorsement. Iwas interviewed by him and thusCanon Shirley entered my life fromthe first days of my tenure at King’s.

I will not bore you with my slowprogression through the School, saveto say that I joined the CombinedCadet Force only to resign onconscientious objection grounds at theage of 15, making me a pariah. I was auseless sportsperson, but, in spite ofthat abysmal status found friendshipfrom Colin Fairservice, the leadingsporting inspiration and coach that theschool had. At about the time of myresignation from the CCF I waspushed firmly into becoming a fencerand during this period I, with others,was invited to tea with Canon Shirley.I believe I had tea with him on threedifferent occasions and he would alsostop and talk to me when he saw me inthe Precincts. To say we becamefriends is nonsense, but I could seethat he cared for me and, as much as itis possible to permit myself to say, thatfeeling was mutual. When I was 15, heoffered me a life-changingopportunity; he invited me to become

a boarder and he would ensure thecosts were borne by the school. Heinformed me that I could not take aleading role in the administration ofthe School as a Monitor unless I was aboarder. I was astounded at thegenerosity of this offer. I weighed thesituation, however, and with mymother living alone in a cottage inFordwich, I felt that I should remain adayboy. In hindsight I have no ideawhether that was the right decision ornot.

I must remind subsequent generationsof the drive and initiative of CanonShirley in general. When I joined theschool it had only just returned to itsCanterbury location from Carlyon Bay.With enormous determination, CanonShirley decided on the construction ofthe Great Hall. Fundraising for theGreat Hall was the inspiration ofCanon Shirley and he required everyone of us to sell notional bricks to alland sundry. The money was raised.The Great Hall was built. Academicstandards grew and remained stable.The number of exhibitions andscholarships was extended and theKing’s School fought its way back intothe middle 20’s of the ‘ratings’. Thisachievement must not be laid at thedoor of the students and staff alone,but also to the drive and inspiration ofCanon Shirley.

When I was 16 Peter divorced myaunt and the payment of school feesended. Canon Shirley, instead ofshowing any animosity at my rejectionof his offer, ensured that Kent CountyCouncil became responsible for thepayment of the school fees.

Whilst I can say candidly that I did notenjoy my time at King’s (and itcertainly did not enjoy me) it wouldhave been impossible without thekindness and inspiration of CanonShirley, coupled with that of my firsthousemaster John Corner, MrReynolds, who managed to insertsome knowledge of mathematics intomy brain, and dear John Wilson,Housemaster of Walpole, whose loveof philosophy has remained with me tothis day. My departure, at the age of17, was cheered by all sides, includingmyself, with the sole exception ofCanon Shirley.

Ben (formerly Simon) Beaumont(MR 1953-58)

Ben Beaumont is a barrister at MiddleTemple Lane Chambers and specializesin resolving disputes by arbitrationand/or adjudication.

FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

ENGAGEMENTS

HUMPHREY, Toby (MT 1999-2004)to Sarah Campbell on 3 January 2013WACHER, Henry (MR 1998-2000) toVictoria Bushell(Stirling-Aird, Connie, a correction: shewas LX 1995-2000, not 1991-93)

RUBY WEDDINGHODGSON, Mike (Common Room1967-88) and Stella on 30 December2012

DEATHS

BLACK, Ian Frederick (MO 1944-49)on 16 January 2013COCKMAN, Patrick Melhuish (SH1945-49) in June 2010COOMBES, Robert Neil (GR 1950-54) on 5 October 2012DILLON, Michael G H (CommonRoom 1965-69) on 7 May 2012POWER, John David (Bursar 1975-83) on 1 January 2013RACTLIFF, Timothy David (GL 1957-60) on 29 June 2012WALTER, David John (GR 1951-56)on 14 July 2012

OBITUARIES

PATRICK COCKMAN (SH 1945-49)

(Patrick’s son Paul has helpfully provided uswith this account.)

My father Patrick died in June 2010after a short battle with cancer. Hewas very proud to have been a pupil atKing’s and he went on in later life tobe one of the world’s leading expertsin security numbering, providingspecialist equipment and knowledge tomany of the central banks around theworld.

Indeed every bank note you see incirculation today in the UK carriesserial numbers created by his machinesand he invented the horizontal andvertical sequential numbering with thegraded ink that appears on them. Hewas a very private and modest manand is sadly missed by all who had theprivilege to know him.

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Besides photographs (sent to theArchivist) I have two other mementos ofhis which again came from King’s: one,a cigarette case given to him by theCCF Band in December ’49 inrecognition of his trumpet-playingskills and the other an ashtray madefrom a section of the Bell Harry Towerwhich was allegedly blown off duringan air raid in 1945, both of which I stilluse.

DAVID WALTER (GR 1951-56)

David Walter died of cancer on 14 July2012. He is survived by his wife Ingrid.David joined King’s from the ChoirSchool and represented the school attennis and squash, coached by DenisBall. After National Service in theNavy, David joined the MetropolitanWater Board, and later Thames Wateras a Development Engineer. David wasa good amateur artist and loved sailingand the outdoor life.

James Walter (GR 1959-64)

TIMOTHY RACTLIFF (GL 1957-60)

Tim died on 29 June 2012 after a shortbut unsuccessful battle with cancer.

He was a successful Hotelier. Shortlyafter leaving King’s he went to train at arestaurant in Paris before joining thefamily business at the BuckinghamHotel in Kensington, London. In themid 1970s he left the family businessand ventured in to propertydevelopment until in 1980 he cameacross for sale in West Sussex, LittleThakeham, a Lutyens’ country house inneed of some attention.

He immediately saw the potential forthe property and set about making thenecessary conversions to turn it into aCountry House Hotel and Restaurant.It was a business that suited hislifestyle, delight in entertaining andlove of good food and fine wine. It wasrun with the simple philosophy that itwas his home and the customers werehis house guests. This made it a hugesuccess and resulted in not only a largenumber of returning customers but theestablishment of many lifelongfriendships.

He was a sports enthusiast both as aplayer and spectator. He played rugby

and cricket to a good club standard inSussex – the latter well into his 50s.He was also a member of the MCC, akeen golfer and took up shooting afterretiring from the rugby field. Also ahorse racing enthusiast – a member ofGoodwood Racecourse and part ownerof a number of horses in his lifeincluding a steeplechaser that won atthe Cheltenham Festival.

He was interested in antiques and artand spent many hours in the auctionroom and after retirement in 2000dabbled in some part time dealing.

He leaves his wife Pauline, threechildren and four grandchildren whoall miss him and his wonderfully funapproach towards life which touched somany as evidenced by the attendance athis funeral in Pulborough on 13 July2012.

Nick Ractliff (son) (GL 1978-1983)

MICHAEL DILLON (Common Room 1965-69)

Michael Dillon gained a place atEdinburgh to read Medicine, changedto English and taught English at King’sfor four years. He then moved toOxford, where he learnt the intricatetechniques of harpsichord building inthe workshop of Robert Goble andSon, and taught in the State sector.Michael St. John Parker (CommonRoom 1963-69) tempted him toAbingdon School to reintroduce acraft element to the curriculum, andto re-launch Craft, Design andTechnology there. In 24 dedicatedand successful years, Michael (Dillon)became Lower School Housemasterand then Lower Master, beforeretiring in 2001. From a King’s pointof view, it is Michael St John Parker’swords (in the Old Abingdonians’Griffen) that are the most interesting:“At King’s we were members of agroup of young masters who werevery willing to play a mildly seditiousrole, in classic ’60s fashion, in aninstitution which at that time closelyresembled the school portrayed in thefilm If.”

COLONEL JOHN POWER(Bursar 1975-83)

(Extracted from the eulogy delivered by theRevd Phil Brown, Vicar of St. Mary’sChartham at the funeral on 18 January2012.)

John Power – “Colonel Power” – wasborn in Edinburgh, October 1919, theson of a distinguished naval officer andhe went to Rugby School with his twoyounger brothers and also two youngcousins. He became a professionalsoldier for 37 years, joining the Armyin 1937 as a gunner and training atWoolwich – “the Shop”.

During the war he served in NorthAfrica, fought his way through Italy –where he was badly injured – and thenon to Greece. After the war he servedin Palestine.John met Liz, the love of his life, at aparty in London in 1949 and proposed

within two weeks; they were marriedin June 1950. They had threedaughters, Jennifer, Isabel and Amelia.During their Army life together theylived in Hong Kong, Germany, Ghanaand Belgium.

Leaving the Army in 1975, the familymoved to Mystole, near Chartham andJohn became Bursar at King’s School –a job he loved – till he retired in 1983and occupied himself with many things:for example, bee-keeping, calligraphy,art classes, painting and wood-carving.One of his carvings is used in St.Mary’s every week: the small lecternon the communion table. He madefabulous wooden toys for all his adoredgrandchildren. As well as this, Johnwas Kent County Secretary and Vice-President for SSAFA, the Soldiers,Sailors, Airmen and FamiliesAssociation. I was told that recently hewas so distressed at the situation inAfghanistan and the loss of so manyyoung soldiers that he wrote to his MPto re-enlist, being more expendablethan a 19 year-old.

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He was an active member of ourchurch here at St Mary’s – a member ofthe PCC, church warden and treasurer.In fact, his Christian faith has beendescribed as the rock of his life.

John and Liz were married for 60 yearsand 6 months. When she died twoyears ago John was quietly brave but hemissed her desperately. All hisgrandchildren have described him asthe greatest example of their lives. Hewas a man with a tremendous sense ofdiscipline and duty and love: lovetowards his girls, his country, his God,and his family and friends.

(Amelia Power, SH 1978-80, worked as anAdministrator in Canterbury for 20yearsbefore joining the Marlowe Theatre in 2007.Since 2009 her role has been Friends EventsCoordinator. In uniform at his grandfather’sFuneral and Thanksgiving was Capt. AndrewPelham, RAMC, Jennifer’s son, MR 2000-02.)

Some Reminiscences of John Power

1. 1976. I first met John Power at justabout the end of the era when almostall bursars of Oxford and Cambridgecolleges, and of independent schools,were ex-military men. As adistinguished WW II veteran, JohnPower certainly fulfilled the image.The first part of our conversation did,however, rather take me by surprise:

JDP: ‘I suppose the Headmaster hastold you your starting salary?’RBM: ‘Yes, he has.’JDP: ‘Well, the first thing is, that’sprobably wrong!’

This took me aback, initially, until itwas made clear that the starting salarywas probably going to be larger thanthe Headmaster had told me. (I hadmomentarily overlooked the fact thatthe mid–late 1970s was a period ofdouble-figure inflation, and pay-rises tomatch were then by no means unusual.I recall, in about 1979/1980, getting aninflation-driven pay rise of some 20%.)

At the end of this initial meeting withJohn Power I thanked him for his warmwelcome and helpfulness. In responsehe astounded me again by saying – thisis not the exact quotation, but it givesthe flavour – ‘To Work is to Serve’!(This is not unconnected with myobservation, during the first StaffMeeting of the Term when I arrived,

that, the Bursar, in true militaryfashion, addressed the Headmaster as‘Sir’.)

2. Early 1980s. Each summer for thefirst ten years or so that I was at King’s,my late father used to visit me at mybase at No. 7, The Precincts. Like JohnPower, my father had served in NorthAfrica during WW II and, one Augustday, I took the opportunity tointroduce the two to each other. Ofcourse, I introduced the Bursar to myfather as ‘Colonel John Power’ and I wasboth touched and amused that myfather, automatically – even forty yearson – addressed the latter as ‘Sir’.

As a post-script I might mention thatmy incredibly conscientious and hard-working classroom cleaner in F3 at thattime, the late Arthur Holness – whosefuneral I also attended, many years ago– was likewise a North Africa veteran,and I was able to introduce him, also,to my father, during one of the latter’svisits.

3. 2006. In February, 2006, I made avisit to Poland and, for this purpose, Ihad ordered a batch of Polish złotysfrom my bank. I was handed rather alarge wad of low-denomination notesand thought that, before leaving thebank’s premises, it would be wise tomake sure that I had been given theright amount. So, I sat down at a tablethat had a large semi-circular sofa infront of it, and began to count. Inoticed John Power a seat or two awayand we hailed each other. After thegreeting, I said to John, somewhatcheekily – “John, you were Bursar andso can clearly count. Would you helpme count this lot?” He laughed and weboth began the counting process.During it, he nonchalantly came outwith the following splendid line:

‘I was with the Poles in Monte Cassinoin ‘44. They were mad devils, but theywere brave devils.’

I thought: ‘How wonderful that all I didwas to come to the bank for theentirely routine purpose of collectingsome Polish currency and yet I meetsomeone who was fighting alongsidethe Polish Army in a classic battle thattook place in the very year that I wasborn.’

4. About 2008. Since I left King’s in2005 I have been a visiting lecturer at

what we used to call ‘UKC’ but we arenow supposed to call, somewhat less‘snappily’, ‘The University of Kent,Canterbury’. My college there isKeynes and, when Dr Dave Reason wasMaster of Keynes College, hefrequently used to host receptionsbased around artistic exhibitions, heldin Keynes. It was a great pleasure tofind John and Elizabeth Powerexhibiting paintings and photographson several of these occasions –sometimes in exhibitions organised andstocked entirely by themselves. I reallyenjoyed meeting them at these events,and I was delighted to see that theywere so active and functioning sopositively when both were well intotheir late eighties. They were anexample to us all – in this and in manyother respects.

Roger Mallion(Common Room 1976-2005)

Two Clerical Deaths that should berecorded are those of the Very RevdMichael Till on 4 December and the RtRevd Kenneth Cragg on 13 November.

Michael Till was Dean of Winchesterfrom 1996 to 2005. He had come toprominence as Dean of King’s College,Cambridge in the 1970s (with aProvost bent on secularisation) and wasthen Vicar of All Saints’ Fulham beforebeing appointed Archdeacon ofCanterbury (and thereby a Governor ofKing’s) from 1986 to 1996.

Kenneth Cragg was a distinguishedscholar with a deep knowledge andsympathy for both Islam and Judaism.After pastoral and academic work inBeirut and Jerusalem, and five years asa Professor of Arabic and Islamics inConnecticut, he became a Fellow andthen Warden (from 1961 to 1967) ofSt. Augustine’s College, Canterbury,then the Central College of theAnglican Communion. His Warden’sLodge was the quarters now occupiedby the Broughton Housemistress, hisson Arnold was MR 1959-62, and hisIslamic learning enabled the School’sthen Archivist to identify the portraitof Bishop Heber at St. Augustine’s.